Automatic door-operating device



Dec. 27, 1927.

J. LEMMA AUTOMATIC DOOR OPERATING DEVICE Filed Jan.31, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N VEN TOR.

A TTORNE Y.

Dec. 27, 1927.

J. LEMMA AUTOMATIC DOOR OPERATING DEVICE Filed Jan.3l, 1927 IN V EN TOR. M

ATTORNEY.

Dec. 27, 1927. 1,654,334

J. LEMMA AUTOMATIC DOOR OPERATING DEVICE Filed Jam-31. 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 A TTORNE Y.

'Patented Dec. 27, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,554,33'd OFF-ICE.

.rosr-rrr LEMMA, or DETROIT, MI HIGA ssIeNoR or ONE-THIRD TO MARY LEMMA AND ONE-THIRD TO BRUNO GARABELL IBQTHOF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

AUTOMATIC DOOR-OPERATING DEVICE.

Application filed January 31, 1927. Serial No. 164,794.

The object of my invention'is to provide an automatic door operating device, adapted for installation with sliding doors and operating in a manner that will automatically open or close the doors without aid of manual means.

Another object is to produce a door opening device that is adaptedfor installation with sliding doors and will operate automatically by pressure from the load of an approaching vehicle.

A further object matic door opener, which operates solely by a system of levers and will operate to close as well as to open the door.

A still further object is to provide an automatic door opening device that is simple in construction, easily and efficiently operated,

and can be manufactured and installed at a very low cost.

These several objects are attained in the preferred form by the construction and arrangement of parts more fully hereinafter set forth.

' Similar parts on all drawings are marked by similar numerals.

Fig. 1, is the frontview of the door with the operating mechanism attached thereto, showing the general arrangement of the lever mechanism.

Fig. 2, is an end view of the doorshowing the relative position of the operating mechanism.

Fig. 3, is a sectional View taken on line 33 of Fig. 1, showing the operating levers and connections thereof to the door sections.

Fig. l, is an alternate arrangement of the operating levers as may be applicable to door sections of large dimensions, as well as to the ordinary type of door.

I will now describe more fully the detail construction of my device, referring to the drawings and the marks thereon.

My device is applicable to sliding doors employed in outbuildings, garages, warehouses, etc. The doors are ordinarily hung by door rollers, supported on suitable to the building wall. My device is attached to the exterior edge of each door and operated in amanner for opening each of the doors by a series of attachedlevers, which in turn are mounted on, and operated by a movable bridge beam positioned beneath the center of the doors. The bridge beam car is to produce an autodoor tracks, attached ries a side bridge section pivotally mounted on either side thereof, said bridge sections being also hinged at the outer edges thereof -f-Q--'which is fixedly attached to thewall 8 of the building. The doors .1are provided with roller bearings 4- mounted on the top edge of each door panel, and extend over the track -2- in such a ;man ner as to engage and rest thereon, the rollers 4 are free to operate and move the doors +-lalongthe track '2 in either direction, and in a manner incidental to the ordinary type of roller doors. Directly beneath the doors 1- and parallel therewith is mounted an operating'bridge beam 5-. The beam 5 is of alength equal to about twice the width of the doubledoors, and is supported at each end thereofby the rods 6-, which" are suspended from the outer ends of the track 2 by eyebolts 7 fixedly attached to the track. At the lower end of the supporting rods 6- are mounted heavy coil springs 8, connecting the ends of the rod with the bridge beam -5 and provide a spring support therefor. On each side of the bridge beam 5 is attached a movable bridge platform 9-, which are connected thereto, by the hinges -l0 fixedly attached to the side Walls of the beam, and in a manner as to pivot the bridge platforms thereon. The brid'geplatforms 9- are of a length equal to the full widthof the double doors, and of a suflicient width to allow the front wheels of an approaching vehicle to rest thereon, when the doors 1 are closed, both the bridge platforms'9- are also pivoted to the outer foundation walls ll by the hinged bearings 12 fixedly attached to the foundation, one bearing being placed at each of the outer corners of the bridge platform. The platforms and beam are "held in a suspended positionby-therods 6. and attached coil springs 8-, and asshown in Fig. 1 of the d'awings. Near each end of the beam -5 is mounted a pivot bearing 18 fixedly attached to the top wall of the beam. Pivotally attached to each of the bearings -13-Olt$ltl0lll6 doors,,is an op erating bar -l.-%lfree to turn within the pivot support, in a plane parallel to the bean'i -5, the operating, bars -l.4.- being of a length to extend slightly above the top edge of "the door panels -1-, same being mounted on the bridge beam -5- at a distance froin the door ininels to allow acl door to be opened the full required width before coming in contact therewith. At the top end of the operating bars -1 l-- are the pivotally attached door arms 15 and the opposite end of arm 1.5 being attached to the top edge of the door panel -l by the pin bolt 16- fixedly mounted within the door panel. Near the bottom of the 0perating bars 1tare also mounted door arms -l7, said arms -17 are also attached to the door panels 1 near the bottom thereof, by the pin bolts -18* also The system of arms in their pivoted position .being connected directly with the bridge beam -5- and ln'idge platforms 9- are subject to any movement of thebridge platform when under load of an approaching vehicle, the said weight of the vehicle on the platform bridge --9- will lower the time'draw the operating bars -il.4t therewith. The connected operating; arms *20.

will turn about the fixed pivot pins 22- in the wall block, and move the. fulcrum of the operating arms 1t outward away from door panels -1- and cause the top ends of both operating bars 14- to also move outward away from the doors, drawing the top of the door panel --1'- therewith, by the connecting door arm 15, also at the same time the connecting door arm '17-- as pivotally attached to the bottom of the door panels -1 and to the operating bars -l4, is drawn backward by the swinging movement of all of the arms about the wall pivot 22 when the beam 5- is lowered, anddraws the bottom of the door panels -1 therewith and opening both doors bydirect action of the attached esa-e34 hicle is removed from either bridge platform 9, the support springs '8- as attached to the ends of the bridge beam --5- willraisethe bridge beam 5 to its original position and automatically close the doors, through the reverse movement of the operating levers. The length, position and ratio of the operating arms and fixed pivots, may be accurately determined for operating any desired size or type of door, within certain range limits. It is essential for etiicient operation of the pivoted levers, that the two operating bars la are set at an angle leaning toward the top of the door panels 1, and that both the operating arms 20- and door arms -17 be set at angles sloping downward toward operating bar connections, makingthem more effective 1n producing horizontal movement for opening the door panels, when drawn downward by the loaded brid e beam 5.

An alternate form of operating arm is of the door panel 1- by the door arm all operating in a manner as heretofore described. The length, position and ratio of the lever arms belng all pro-determined to accomplish the uniform and consistent movement of the doors.

having fully described my door operating vice, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters intent is: i y

, l. en autonm tic door operating device to be used in combination with sliding door panels, for openingand closing same, com prising a horizmita-l lniidge beam member placed beneath the sliding door panels and positioned at about the floor level, a bridge platform pivotally attached to the side of the l'iridge beam and ex ending therefrom in a IlOSl'blOH in front of the door panels, a spring support member attached to the bridge beam for holding san'ie suspended in a horizontal position beneath the doorpanels, capable of settling when a super-load is restingon the bridge platform, a series of operating arms pivotally mounted on said bridge beam outside of the door panels and at a distance therefrom to allow the doors to open the required width without interfering with the operating levers, lever arms pivot: ally attached to the operating levers are connected directly to the door-panels and an operating arm pivotally attached to said operating bars having the opposite end pivotally attached to a fixed wall block,a1l levers being so connected that the settling of the llfl lSll

bridge beam when loaded, will swing the connecting operating levers in a manner for sliding the doors open.

2. An automatic door operating mechanism to be used in combination with sliding door panels, for opening and closing same, comprising a horizontal bridge beam placed beneath the sliding door panels and positioned at about the floor level, said horizontal bridge beam being suspended by spring supports, bridge platforms pivotally attached to the side of said bridge beam and extending therefrom in a position in front of the doors and so arranged as to settle when a super-load is placed thereon, an operating bar pivotally mounted on each end of the bridge beam outside of the sliding door panels and in a plane therewith, door arms pivotally attached to said operating bars and pivotally attached to the sliding door panels, an operating arm pivotally at tached to the operating bars also having one end of said operating arm pivotally attached to a fixed wall block, all of said operating arm members so positioned and proportioned as to cause the doors to open upon the settling of the bridge beam and to cause the doors to close upon the raising of the bridge beam. I

3. An automatic door operating mechanism to be used in combination with sliding door panels for opening and closing same, comprising a horizontal bridge beam placed beneath the door panel-s and parallel therewith. said bridge beam being of a. length equal to about twice the width of the sliding door panels and positioned at about the floor level, said bridge beam being suspended by spring supports in a manner to allow the bridge beam to settle thereon when under load, bridge platforms pivotally attached to the side of said bridge beam in front of the door panels and so mounted as to cause the settling of the bridge beam when the superload is placed thereon, an operating bar pivotally mounted on the top of the bridge beam near each end thereof, and in a plane with the door panel, said operating bars extending to near the top of the door panels and lnclmed in an angular position toward the top of the door panels, said operating bars being connected to the door panels by door arms pivotally attached to both operating arms and door, an operating arm pivotally attached to each operating bar and having its opposite end pivotally attached to a fixed wall block outside the door and positioned at such an angle that the settling of the bridge beam, when loaded will pivot and turn the operating bars attached thereto in a direction for opening the attached door panels and will close the door panels by the raising of the bridge beam when the load is removed therefrom.

l. An automatic door operating device to be used in combination with sliding door panels, for opening and closing same, comprising a horizontal bridge beam placed be low the door panels, said beam being of a length of about twice the Width of the door panels and suspended by spring supports mounted thereon, a bridge platform pivotally attached to the side of the bridge beam and so mounted as to cause the bridge beam to settle when a super-load is placed there on, an operating bar pivotally mounted at each end of the bridge beam near the end thereof, saidoperating arm being positioned in a plane with the door panels extending to near the top thereof and inclined at an angle toward the'top of the door, an operating arm attached to said operating bar and having the opposite end thereof pivotally mounted to a fixed wall block positioned outside of said operating arm and so positioned that the settling of the attached door beam will cause an outward movement of the op erating bars therewith and a door arm pivotally attached to the said operat-ing bar connected in a. manner that will cause the sliding door panels to open and close as the bridge beam is lowered or raised upon its suspended spring supports.

In witness whereof, I sign these specifications.

JOSEPH LEMMA. 

